


Thrall

by syncro37



Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Half-Vampires, Jeff is a very good friend, Mind Manipulation, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 16:48:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15271911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syncro37/pseuds/syncro37
Summary: “Would you do it?” You ask Jeff one day.“Is that even a question?” he says, bouncing on the edge of his seat. “Who in their right mind  would pass up the chance to be a big hero?”You lean in.“Even...if it hurts?"“Even if it hurts.”





	Thrall

Your dad feeds you all kinds of delicious treats. Sometimes it’s a rabbit, sometimes it’s duck, and if you’re extra lucky, he comes home from work with an entire cow.

 

When you first brought Jeff over, it was different. Instead of frogs and pigeons, it was roasted chicken with fettuccine and a side of mashed potatoes. You were about to tell Jeff that what Dad usually served was way better and that he must have been really busy, but Jeff said it was the best thing he ever tasted, so every time Jeff wants to come over, you ask Dad to make the same dish he made Jeff the first day.

 

You hate lunch the most. While the Gatorade tastes sweet, there’s still a period of dizziness every time someone runs past you. You accompany Jeff, who spends most of recess making these awesome pictures of dinosaurs and aliens. When you ask him where he learned to draw like that, he tells you about _Dragon Ball Z_ and _Yugioh_ , which both sound really cool.

 

"They are," he says. "In fact, you should come to my house, that way we can watch it together."

 

Jeff's house is cozy. His mom offers goldfish, which Jeff gladly accepts and then pulls you up to his room. Posters of illustrations cover the walls, complementing the action figures that guard his shelves. Jeff pulls out a remote and the two of you stick your heads in front of the humble TV, mesmerized by the moving lights and heartfelt speeches.

\-------------------------

 

“Get out of my way, that thing has caused enough trouble.”

 

“N-no…”

 

You hear the spirit, whimpering. You can’t deny that it knocked over your favorite lego set, or that it set off the sprinkler system, but you’re pretty sure it won’t recover from whatever Dad wants to do to it.

 

He strides over. You put your arms up.

 

“Cody, step away from the spirit. That’s an order.”

 

And suddenly, something _pulls_ . You plant your feet in defiance as your mind badgers you, because this feels terribly, terribly, _wrong_... and you should just step out of the way, because Dad said so, and because if that spirit goes unpunished, what’s to say it won’t run along to wreak more havoc?

 

“I-I’m sorry!” The sound of blubbering erupts. It’s calling...

 

The spirit is calling

 

For your protection.

 

_“Would you do it?” You ask Jeff one day._

 

_“Is that even a question?” he says, bouncing on the edge of his seat. “Who in their right mind  would pass up the chance to be a big hero?”_

 

_You lean in._

 

_“Even...if it hurts?”_

 

_“Even if it hurts.”_

 

_“Wow Jeff, that’s so.. brave.”_

 

_He laughs and scratches the back of his neck. “Well, not really. Whenever I get scared, I just think of Gohan, and how even though he doesn’t like fighting, he always stands up to the bad guys to protect everyone around him.”_

 

You keep your ground. It hurts. It _hurts_.

 

But the spirit is still behind you, squealing and begging. Under Dad’s looming shadow, your muscles seize as you start to buckle.

 

“Good grief, Cody, just let it go.” A grey sword appears out of Dad’s sleeve. He yawns.

 

“ Promise me you won't kill the spirit.”

 

“Don’t be unreasonable, child,” Dad says, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I cannot let these _creatures_ walk all over us, especially in _my_ house.”

 

“That’s not fair! You wouldn’t kill me if _I_ did those things!”

 

Batting his eyes, Dad pouts and prances towards you. “Of course I wouldn’t! You’re such a good boy and I know you would never engage in such mischief.”

 

You stare at the ground until a set of cold fingers tilts your chin. You look up. Dad’s eyes are searing. He yanks you closer. “I know you wouldn’t,” he says in a low voice, “ _because any son of mine does what he’s told.”_

 

Yes. Sons are to be obedient to their fathers. Who feed and nurture. Who love and protect. How else, could a son repay the care of his father, and what kind of son didn’t?

 

 _Luke Skywalker_ , offers a voice in the back of your head. It sounds suspiciously similar to Jeff’s. His dad was a sith lord, slaughtering countless of innocents. He cut his son’s hand off. _What kind of father cuts off his son's hand?_

 

“No!”

 

You slam your head against his. He wretches back and you fall. You hear the spirit hopping away as the world spins around you. Everything is so...heavy and there’s this _ringing_ that keeps getting louder and louder.

 

You shut your eyes. The throbbing won’t go away and your Dad is shouting _something_ , but it’s all nonsense, and why won’t _he just shut up_?

 

Eventually, the shouting dies down, and you feel yourself being carried off the ground. There’s a horrible sense of comfort as you slip away in Dad’s arms.

 

\--------

 

You stand in the hallways of Mayview Junior High. The cutlass is in _your_ hands now, and that familiar burning in your chest returns.

 

This time, the image of Jeff, twisted and defiled flashes through your mind. The spirit deserved this... right? A punishment is in order at the very least, but did it deserve death?

 

You want to let him go.

 

You don’t want to let him go.

 

He hurt Jeff.

 

This is what Dad wants.

 

Is this what Jeff wants?

 

Things will never be the same.

 

Jeff will never be the same and-

 

You tremble as something wells up inside your throat.

 

You really are your father’s son.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Yeeaaah I hope Cody and Davy's dynamic isn't this mean but by the looks of it is. I want someone to smack Davy on the head and tells him to stop emotionally messing up his kid.


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